Somewhere to Belong
by Bookwormjavajunkie
Summary: A tale of belonging, of love. Kagome's life hangs in the balance. What will the hanyou do without her? And will they all, finally find somehwere to belong? IK CH3 REWRITTEN
1. Sunset

A/N: Hey. My name is Noz. This is my first InuYasha fanfic. I've not seen many of the episodes, but I have read 11 of the manga, so I hope I'm not too OOC. This idea just came to me last Saturday while I was in the shower after watching InuYasha. I wrote it while watching Boys Over Flowers, and the Flame of Recca. It takes place right after the last episode (-insert episode name here-) and is stuff that will probably be covered in the series (in fact I'm certain it will be) but it's my little spin of it. I hope you like it. Please be gentle.

Shippo: She doesn't own Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Kaede, Kirara, or me! She can have Inuyasha, though. I don't know why anyone would want him…

Inuyasha: Hey, runt! Why don't you come over here and say that my face, huh?

Shippo: -meep- Kagome! Help me! Inuyasha's being mean to me for no reason, again!

Inuyasha: Why yo—

Kagome: -sweet voice- Inuyasha… SIT BOY!

THUD-

Noz: Don't worry, Inuyasha, I still love you.

Alas, what Shippo says is true. I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters there in. They belong to the talented woman, Rumiko Takahashi. However, I do get to curl up every night with Inuyasha in my arms, his kawaii little dog-ears tickling my cheek as he sleeps. He likes it when I massage one of his ears until he falls asleep, don't you my koishi?

Inuyasha: Uh… um… -blush-

Kagome: Inuyasha! SIT BOY! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!

THUD-

THUD-

THUD-

THUD-

THUD-

………..

Read and review! Creative criticism expected. No flames. Flames will be used to make Kikyo into a pretty flowerpot.

……………………………

. chapter one: sunset .

The silence in the forest was deafening. All the frantic hanyou could hear was the pounding of his heart and the occasional twig snapping under his feet.

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha bounded over a fallen tree with ease, cursing it for taking even a precious second away from his desperate journey. The sun was setting, and if that fool he had just fought had any truth to his words—which Inuyasha grudgingly expected he did—Kagome's life and the lives of his other friends could be coming to a hasty end. An image of Kagome laying in some cave, pale, still, and lifeless, the scent of death clinging to her, flashed through Inuyasha's mind and was just as quickly pushed away. He couldn't think such foolishness, Kagome and the others would be alright. They had to be.

……………………………

"_And before I knew it, I was alone…" Inuyasha muttered on their walk back from the Earth Boy's field._

"_I'm so happy!" Kagome beamed._

"_So what, my misery makes you happy, eh?"_

"_N-n-no! It's not that. It's just… well, this is the first time you've talked to me like this before. I wanted to know what was painful, and what was sad. I wanted to know what you think about. I don't want to just know about how powerful you are."_

"_That makes you happy?" _

"_Mhmm…" Kagome beamed. "Oh, Inuyasha, you aren't alone anymore." She sighed contentedly, walking faster to catch up with her companion. 'You'll never have to be alone, again,' she added to herself._

'_Keh, that's right isn't it? But… what if she leaves? Somehow… somehow I've grown to take it for granted that she'll always be here with me. This is where I belong now…'_

……………………………

"By sunset, the poison will have taken them…" 

"No! How could I have been so stupid?"

Inuyasha bounded towards his friend's scent. It mingled with the foul odor of sickness, danced with it, until it became one and Inuyasha was following the pitiful scent of the dying and not the scent of his companions.

Inuyasha had left the care of his friend's in the hands of Shippo. He could now only hope and pray that the kitsune had found them safety. The youkai of the area would have a splendid feast on the entrails of his companions, as they lay there helpless, were it not for Shippo and Kirara. He grudgingly admitted that counted on the demons just as much as he did the humans. He only hoped all were okay.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he came to what appeared to be an opening in a type of walled in area. Kagome's scent hung heavy here, this had to be where Shippo had taken them. He sniffed the air, picking up the scent of his companions, their illness—death… He couldn't scent whose death, but Inuyasha smelled the sour odor of the dead in the air. He also picked up, ever so slightly, the scent of other humans.

"I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered, "Shippo, I hope you know what you're doing here."

He began a steady pace to where he could smell his friends the most. The area was shrouded in a foul smelling odor that grew stronger with every step he took. All he could think about was finding his friends, and getting them out of here and somewhere where they could heal and rest. And he could protect them.

Inuyasha froze. He heard footsteps behind him, a soft, almost feminine voice mumbling something, and a familiar scent. He ducked behind a bush, not having time for the confrontation he knew would be coming if he were to be spotted.

'No, something definitely isn't right, here. I have to get them out of here, and fast!'

Inuyasha glared as the mumbling Jakotsu sauntered past him, one thin leg exposed from under his kimono. The hanyou's hand rested on the hilt of his father's fang, prepared for a battle if indeed there was one. He hoped in his heart of hearts to go unnoticed. More so, he hoped that Jakotsu's presence here was by accident, and that his friend's had not been captured. If they had, if any of the band of seven knew his friends were here, then they'd most certainly be expecting. And if they were expecting him, he'd have to fight. And by the time that was over, it may be too late.

The hanyou waited until the other man was far enough away his human ears wouldn't hear him stir. Fortunately, Jakotsu had headed in a direction away from where his friend's scent lingered.

'What in the seven hells is going on here?'

He crept, keeping very alert and attuned to his surroundings, to the opening of a building. He could see inside it, a smog filling the room barely leaving his friends visible. Each one was still, too still. Shippo, Miroku, Sango, Kirara all laid on mats, completely still. Kagome, his eyes skimmed over her, praying she was alright. But, she too, lay as still as the dead.

Inuyasha smelled the scent of death and illness. But it was possible that the scent of death came from the band of seven and not his friends. It lingered in this room with everyone, but if it were some sort of trap, they probably would've been in there at one point or another. He wished the smog didn't smell so strongly so that he could make out if the death was coming from his friends. He moved closer and sniff the air, scrunching his face up in distaste.

'Sango… she's alive, I can smell it. Kirara too. And Miroku… barely, but he's still there. Shippo's alive. Kagome…"

The hanyou took a few steps towards the human, thankful that his other friend's were alive and with a new hope that if they had made it through, Kagome had too. Oblivious to everything around him in his worry, he walked on towards Kagome and crouched, sniffing the air surrounding her.

"I'm sorry for leaving you," he said aloud. "If I had stayed, maybe… maybe this wouldn't have happened…"

He sighed, his eyes sad. A small tear formed at the corner of his eye and he brushed it away. With that hand, slightly moist from his tear drop, he touched Kagome's cheek, caressing it slightly. He succumbed to a bout of shudders as he fought to keep his emotions under control. He wasn't a crier, never had been. And furthermore—his Kagome wouldn't want him crying over her…

Inuyasha ran his clawed thumb over Kagome's soft and fragile lips, sighing out her name. He had regain his composure but could not yet stand and move his companions.

Deep in his thoughts, he did not hear the approaching footsteps.

"INUYASHA!"

……………………………

A/N: It's kind of short, I know. There will be more action in the next chapter, I promise.

So, who snuck in on Inuaysha? You'll never guess who! He he.

Review my pretties, so I might have the inspiration to continue on!

(2:12 am)


	2. Grudging Alliance

A/N: Hey guys! I'm starting this on Tuesday, but I'm busy with VBS (Vacation Bible School) all week so I don't know when I'll get this chapter posted. I'm having a lot of fun, helping the little kids with games and crafts and stuff. Smurf (smurf2005) and I even get to make the crafts too and get snacks. It's cool, we're just helpers but they incorporate us into the class just the same. Anyway, please read and review, I take suggestions from my readers very seriously, so if there is anything you want to see happen, just drop me a review and I'll consider it.

Oh, and yes, Koga was originally in my story before I knew about week before last week's episode. I don't want to think up another thing, so I'm keeping him.

--Thanks to reviewers--

Kagomelover91: Thanks so much! You were my first reviewer. Yay! –hands you a human inuyasha plushie, a giant box of pocky, and a strawberry soda-

Inuyashafanficfan: Thank you! I do have a small plot going on, and I'm planning on expanding it with a few plot twists. –hugs-

Chuck: Thanks, koishi! The mystery is because… it's a mystery! Plot twist-ala-polooza! Muhahaha! –kisu on the cheek- Alas, part of the mystery isn't a mystery anymore. But there is still more mystery to come.

GnomeInuyasha: Hey! Wow, I'm honored. Thank you, thank you. Late night writing does rock! It's the best time in the world to get anything done. Tee hee, we have the same name! –huggles-

Smurf2005: Thanks for reviewing. Yeah, I know it isn't the best out there, but I do have some really big plans for it. I'll be writing 'Four Little Words' soon. Prepare for angst. And I think I might keep the original ending. See you tonight. –glomp- It's all going to be okay.

Disclaimer:

Kirara: mew! (Hi, it's me! Kirara!)

Mew, mew! (Noz is unable to speak right now, so she asked me to say a few things.)

Mew, mew, mew, mew! (She doesn't own InuYasha or any of the characters. Takahashi-sama does, and she is a very kind and talented woman who won't sue this poor writer for writing this fanfiction.)

Noz: -comes running past Kirara- Kirara help! Get me out of here!

……………………………

. chapter 2 : grudging alliance .

"INUYASHA" The angry voice said again.

"You…" Inuyasha spat.

'Great, this is all I need, I don't have time to fight with him!' Inuyasha thought, looking at the person who stood in the doorway.

"Why are you here, mange?" The hanyou spat out.

"Keh, like it's any of your business, mutt!" Koga said as he stepped closer to the growling half-demon. "I smelled my Kagome. She's sick. I knew you couldn't take of her! What did you do to her, mutt-face?"

"She isn't your Kagome! She travels with me doesn't she?" Inuyasha growled. "And I didn't do anything to her!"

"Then what's wrong with her?" Koga barked out, irritation evident in his very movements.

"She's dying."

Koga and Inuyasha turned to face the voice of the person who had snuck up them. Amidst their arguing, they had foolishly let down their guard and focused only the searing anger between them. Now, they stared into the eyes of a smirking Jakotsu.

"What do you mean she's dying?" Koga growled at him.

"Oh, my poor Inuyasha, I hate to see you so distressed. But you know, you get even cuter when you're mad. Those cute little dog-ears all flattened down against your head. I could just eat them they're so delicious!" Jakotsu giggled.

"What do you mean she's dying?" Koga spat again, even louder this time.

"Oh, you again. Anger doesn't suit you very well, wolf. You have your appeals, but you just don't do it for me."

"Stop playing games, dammit, and tell me what's wrong with my Kagome!"

"Worry not, wolf. She'll soon be out of her misery. The poisons Makotsu used are working quickly enough," Jakotsu muttered.

"Poisons…" Koga looked back at Inuyasha and then charged at Jakotsu. "Get out of my way!"

Jakotsu side-stepped the attack and laughed. "Silly wolf, I won't stop you from retrieving your companions. They are already dead anyway, less for us to bury."

Jakotsu turned and walked out the door to make himself a decoy. He had said he would have Inuyasha, and he would have him in his time, his way. And that foolish man would have to realize that.

Koga growled and headed towards the other man. Meanwhile, Inuyasha, solemnly, had been trying to pick his friends up to get them out of this place before any other tragedy would befall them. Koga heard the movement behind him and spun around.

"Just what do you think you are doing, mutt-face?" He growled.

"Shut it," Inuyasha murmured, pulling the weight of Miroku onto his shoulder with a limp Kagome already nestled in his arms. "I'm getting them out of here, mange."

Koga growled, irritably. "Get your hands off my Kagome!"

Inuyasha batted the furious wolf youkai away. Fighting wasn't important to him right, making sure his friends would be out safe was the only thing that mattered. He didn't take care of them well enough before, he sure wasn't going to leave them in harms way again.

"Just grab Sango, Shippo, and Kirara. Don't argue with me, wolf cub! Just grab them! Let's go!" He called as he sprung out the door of the temple.

Koga grumbled, not happy about Inuyasha touching his mate, but grabbed the unconscious demon slayer and youkais and bounded off after the hanyou, quickly taking the lead.

"This way! I have a den not far from here! Follow me, if you can," he called back.

Sssshhhhhh………………… 

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku lay peacefully on pallets on the cave floor. Shippo, now awake, was deep in a corner, fighting tears, the injured Kirara feet from him, watching her companions diligently. Inuyasha and Koga sat close by, an angry silence between them, as they watched the scene in front of them.

"I-I-I'm sorry Inuyasha!" Shippo wailed. "I tried my best to protect them!"

Inuyasha looked over at the kitsune. A soft look crossing his face for a mere second before it was gone.

"You were very brave, Shippo. You weren't the one who failed them, it was me."

"I knew you couldn't protect _my_ Kagome!" Koga barked at Inuyasha, breaking his nearly two hour silence.

"At least I tried! At least I was _there_ to try!" Inuyasha barked back.

"I was out fighting your little boyfriend, you stupid dog-turd!" Koga screamed. "The least you could do while I was out actually battling was to take care of my mate!"

"That's it! Prepare to die!" Inuyasha growled as he unsheathed his blade.

Shippo, still huddled in the corner fighting tears and hiding so the men wouldn't take their frustration out on him, looked up as he heard the soft footsteps running into the belly of the cave. He saw the usually bright Ayame, now somber, carrying in a bowl of water and what looked to be herbs.

Ginta and Hakkaku came trailing after her, curious of what was going on inside the cave. Seeing Inuyasha and Koga arguing, they opened their mouths to calm the angry Koga, but were quickly shut up as Ayame put down the contents she was carrying and stormed up to the boys. 

"Will you two stop fighting!" She yelled. "Don't you care that your friends are laying there, ill and injured?" She shot at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked and his still friends and replaces his sword. "Another time."

The two men sat back down as the female set to work on the ill lying in the cave. She busily cared for Miroku, Sango, and Kirara but when she got to Kagome she stopped.

For a moment she just stared. Rezching her hand out to feel the miko, she pulled it back and gasped. _She's so cold… like death. Oh my god…_ Ayame gasped and jumped back a bit, catching the boys' attention.

"What? What is it Ayame?" Koga asked.

"I-I-it's K-Kagome. She's not breathing, I think she's…"

Koga, Inuyasha, and Shippo all jumped from their spots and rushed over to the miko.

"No…" Koga growled.

Inuyasha softly touched her cheek, fighting tears that wanted to well in his eyes.

Shippo clung to Kagome's throat, sobbing enough for everyone in the room.

"Noooo! Why!" He wailed. "Nooo! Kagome can't be dead, she can't!'"

One hand covering her mouth, fighting back her own tears, Ayame reached out and touched the kitsune's head. "I'm sorry, Shippo-chan. It's true, Kagome…," she couldn't finish her sentence.

She couldn't tell Shippo the truth. She couldn't tell Shippo that…

… Kagome was dead.

……………………………

A/N: I'm iffy about this chapter. It had been a while since I had updated and I felt I should, so I kind of rushed on this. I may go back and rewrite it later, I don't know yet. Yeah, sorry about the late update, I had a job, got injured, and now I have a lot of spare time on my hands. It won't be so long before I update again, I promise. Sometime early next week. Promise.

Doing 'Four Little Words' an angst/tragedy IxK fic. I also want to do a MirokuxSango fic but I don't know how to start, so if anyone has any requests, just leave a review!

Anyway, please leave a review. No flames. Love ya!

(4:40 pm)


	3. Desperate Times I

**R.e.d.o.n.e**

**A/N:** Rewrite. It counts as another chapter. No, really. Read it. It does.

Here's my info:

MY XANGA

www (dot) xanga (dot) com / xXxtenchixnoxkuroxXx (take spaces out and put a "." where (dot) is written)

GAIA

xXx (underscore) Riba (underscore) xXx

EMAIL

Nozomichan (underscore) wolfdemon (underscore) 87 (at) yahoo (dot) com

MYSPACE

http / www(dot)myspace(dot)com / blood(underscore)red(underscore)and(underscore)oh(underscore)so(underscore)cold

_------------------------------_

**Miroku:** Hello ladies and gentlemen, Miss Noz is currently unavailable to talk right now so she asked me to say a few words. Why is she unavailable to talk you might ask? Well, see she and Inuyasha and myself were caught in a very compromising position.

**Shippo:** What position was that, Miroku?

**Miroku:** Oh, well, Shippo, I'm so glad you asked. I'd be delighted to explain that to you.

**Kagome and Sango** _(off in the distance)_ And we be delighted if you didn't!

**Noz** _(also off in the distance)_ Just tell 'em what I told ya!

**Miroku:** Whatever you wish. Noz does not own us or anything pertaining to us other than this story. She is, however, very friendly with Inuyasha and myself so Takahashi-sama probably won't sue because she wants to keep her grumpy, hanyou star and favorite houshi happy.

**Shippo: **Geez, is that all you think about Miroku?

.o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o.

**. chapter 3 : desperate times, desperate measures – part I .**

_The moon hung high in the sky, full and blood red. The air was damp, and heavy, and still. Not a noise was made, neither human nor beast around. _

_Except for them._

_Miroku and Kirara stood guard in front of Sango and a cowering Shippo. Sango, comforting, consoling, but ready to strike, just a few feet behind her sentries. Kouga glowered at the scene, poised and ready to battle if the need arose, on the opposite side of the clearing. _

_And in between them was Inuyasha._

_His eyes glowed deep crimson for a mere second before turning back to their familiar golden. Only moments passed as the hanyou thought over his next plan of action, but the wait felt like a lifetime to the five companions standing in that clearing. And then—_

_--Inuyasha brought his foot down onto his prey's throat._

_And laughed._

_This was a dark, haunting laugh that chilled even the mighty wolf youkai to his core. A laugh, so uncharacteristic of the hanyou, that the prince had to look twice to assure himself his eyes were not playing tricks on him. But sure enough, it was indeed the hanyou, out of his mind with rage and sorrow and grief. But hanyou, not demon. So, at least he was able to think…_

"_Who's dying now?" Inuyasha's voice was barely a whisper hanging on the heavy air._

"_Who's dying now, huh? Bastard!" The bellow was punctuated with the half demon's foot almost crushing the being beneath him._

"_Inuyasha, stop. You shouldn't do this. Not like this. She wouldn't want it like this!" The slayer's words seemed to drift off on an unseen, unfelt wind._

_The angry half demon took up his fang and brought it down upon Jakotsu's chest. The fierce power of the blade tore the man's chest apart and Inuyasha finished the job by applying all his weight to the dead man's throat, crushing it, and letting his head pop off like a cork from a bottle._

_Inuyasha stood atop his bloody conquest, silent, unseeing. He blinked once and then—_

"_Wind scar!"_

_He tried to jump out of the way, but he had been caught off guard. He was caught in the fury of Inuyasha's attack, and didn't stand a chance. Kouga was no more._

_Still holding his fatal weapon, Inuyasha turned blind eyes on the group on the other side of the clearing._

"_If you value your life, you won't harm us, we want to help," Miroku said in his calm, but stern voice, preparing to unleash the kazaana. _

_In the depths of the hanyou's blind eyes, the monk could see an absolute sadness, an understanding, recognition. But over it all was hate. There would be no reasoning with him today._

"_Inuyasha, I don't want to do this," Miroku muttered, giving reason one last chance._

_Inuyasha dashed towards them._

"_Kazaana!"_

_And the wind was sucking him closer. The hanyou pushed his fang forward, letting it penetrate the monk's wind tunnel, slice at the very confines of skin. He used the hilt for leverage and popped over the monk's head, behind him to glower over Sango. Knowing, Miroku would not turn the kazaana on Sango, he felt freedom._

_Sango started to attack, but Inuyasha was inconveniently between her and Miroku where neither could touch him without harming the other. So with one sharp cry, Sango accepted her demise as Inuyasha's claws ripped through her skin._

_And with that it was all over. Miroku turned his kazaana on the hanyou, sucking him in along with little Shippo and Kirara. The steel fang had damaged him so, that the monk, himself was drug into the voids of his hand._

_And all that was left in the clearling was the body of Kagome. And the eerily silence._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Miroku woke with a start. Ayame was dabbing a cloth on his forehead to sop up the cold sweat that was coming from his pores. He looked around suspiciously, hoping that at least part of that dreadful nightmare didn't come true.

In the corner he could see a fuzzy Kouga shaped blob doing what he thought was eating. Next to what looked like a fire was a little Shippo sized blob, a bigger Kirara shaped blob and—finally, what he was looking for—a Sango shaped blob. Good, they were all alive. He scanned the den for an Inuyasha shaped blob and found none. He didn't even bother looking for Kagome because he knew that she was—

"I'm glad you're awake, Miroku-sama. You were making some awful sounding noises in your sleep. How are you feeling? Do you think you could handle any food right now?" the wolf yasha asked.

Nauseated, disgusted, worried, terrified, queasy, relieved. Probably not.

"I'm okay. And sure, I'll try," he smiled his patented lecherous smile at the girl as she went to get him a bowl of stew.

"Kouga," his weak voice sounded.

"What monk?" the wolf demon snarled.

"Have you heard anything on Inuyasha?"

The silence was enough of an answer for him. Oh, Buddha, let things go well.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Inuyasha had been running for nearly two days now with no stop. Kagome rested over his shoulder as if she were sleeping. Except, she was not sleeping, she was dead, her body cold and stiff. Not the sweet smelling, soft, vibrant Kagome he was used to.

She was dead.

The hanyou leaped through the forest, over tree branches, and across streams, at his fastest speed, never looking back. It had been this way for two days, day and night, and would continue the same way until he found the one he was looking for.

Even when, at last, Inuyasha picked up a familiar scent he didn't slow his pace. Didn't believe his own nose until he saw the little girl in the orange kimono and knew that who he was looking for wasn't far. Only then he slowed down.

"Oh, hello, Inuyasha-sama!' Rin chirped.

Inuyasha didn't even bother with his trademark 'feh' as he walked past her and in the direction of his brother.

He walked over a hill towards the smell of fire and grilling meat.

And there was Sesshomaru and his toad, Jaken, sitting by a fire, watching a boar roast. Sesshomaru looked up at his brother and stood.

"Jaken, watch Rin," he said and turned and walked in the opposite direction of Inuyasha.

"Yes M'Lord."

Inuyasha followed his older brother away from the make-shift camp site and into the woods. He found Sesshomaru in another clearing, just earshot—for a demon with very keen senses—away from the site.

"What have you come to disturb me with?" the older inu youkai asked.

"Kagome. Help her," Inuyasha said.

"And why should this Sesshomaru help your miko?"

"She was poisoned, okay? I was too late, I couldn't protect her."

Silence.

"Just help her okay?" Inuyasha yelled.

"No."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**A/N: **So there, are you happy? It's longer. I know it took me a while, but yeah. I've been reading a lot. That and I've been working. Sorry. Oh, I have a confession to make. Inuyasha x Kagome and Miroku x Sango is not making me happy. I've been delving into Miroku x Kagome pairings lately. _Lessons_ by HorridPorrid is my all time favorite MonkMiko fic. I love it! I will still read IK and MS pairings and I will continue to write this one and my MS story, which is in the works. But I also have a story called _Never Say Never_. Read it. Please? I'm also working on a round robin called _Because of You_ under the penname "thePervertedMonkClub" Read that too, it's awesome.

No flames or I will turn kinky-ho into a pretty, pretty flower pot and put dead bellflowers in her.

**/n.o.t.e/ Miroku fan? Want to join the perverted monk club, a club especially for fans of our favorite hentai no houshi? Email thepervertedmonkclub (at) hotmail (dot) com for more information!**


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